Association Petitions Kogi State Attorney General over Killing

Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja

The Kogi State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Muhammed Ibrahim, has been petitioned by the Goat Sellers Association, Lokoja branch, over the granting of bail to Ex-Sergent Ibrahim Isah who killed one of their members, Ibrahim Ali, sometimes in March this year.

Ali was shot at a close range in front of his shop in March at Ganaja village for adding his voice to the call on the officer to take a little girl he knocked down with a motor cycle to the hospital.

However, the erring police officer was given orderly room trial and subsequently dismissed.

The petition signed by the association’s Secretary General, Zakari Apitar, which was made available to THISDAY in Lokoja yesterday stated that the association was shocked that in spite of public outcry and condemnation that greeted the gruesome killing of Ali, the court could still go ahead to grant the murderer bail and free him.

“That the cruel act leading to the untimely death of the deceased met a stiff condemnation from the public and attracted much sympathy from the public, including the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who invited the defendant and the family members of the deceased to the government house for interrogation and where the defendant admitted committing the crime,” Apitar said.

The petitioner further stated that the defendant was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court for the offence of culpable homicide punishable by death.

He also stated that counsel to the accused, B.M Momoh from Akubor chambers, applied for his bail but was refused on the strength of opposition from the police prosecutors.

Apitar said the same lawyer to the defendant applied for the bail of the defendant at the High Court sitting at Obangede where a state counsel appeared for the state and opposed the application and even informed the court that the charge has been filed at the High Court in Lokoja.

The petitioner stated further that they were surprised that counsel to the defendant, Momoh, applied secretly at the High Court at Ajaokuta even when he was aware that the case is coming up at High Court 3,Lokoja.

Apitar said: “That to our surprise, when the application for bail was moved by the applicant’s counsel, the state counsel attached to the court said they are not opposing the bail application.”